Dispensing Opticians Training Program
San Mateo Adult and Career Education · San Mateo, CA
- Cost
- $99
- Length
- 15 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- 88%
Program names, program descriptions and occupation titles appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Everything else on this page is translated.
What happened to people who took this
- People enrolled
- 200
- Finished the program
- 100%Based on 136 peopleTypical California program: 85% of 1,951 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Working 6 months later
- 88%Typical California program: 69% of 1,690 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $14,375A single quarter of earnings, roughly three months, not a yearly salary. Do not compare it directly with the yearly pay shown for the occupation.Typical California program: $10,900 of 1,339 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
The job this trains for
This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.
Where California publishes a separate figure for San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.
Opticians, Dispensing
Job ads may call this: Optician · Licensed Optician · Certified Optician · Optical Technician
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Measure clients' bridge and eye size, temple length, vertex distance, pupillary distance, and optical centers of eyes, using measuring devices.
- Verify that finished lenses are ground to specifications.
- Evaluate prescriptions in conjunction with clients' vocational and avocational visual requirements.
- Recommend specific lenses, lens coatings, and frames to suit client needs.
Show 3 more things this job involves
- Assist clients in selecting frames according to style and color, and ensure that frames are coordinated with facial and eye measurements and optical prescriptions.
- Maintain records of customer prescriptions, work orders, and payments.
- Heat, shape, or bend plastic or metal frames to adjust eyeglasses to fit clients, using pliers and hands.
What this pays in San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties)
Each bar runs from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. The darker middle is where half the people are, and the line is the median.
| Area | The lowest-paid tenth earn under | Half earn under | The highest-paid tenth earn over |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $38,630 | $59,433 | $84,062 |
| Across California | $43,577 | $59,613 | $83,966 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) beside the same figures for the whole state. A region can sit well below or above the statewide spread, and the statewide number is the one most often quoted — so where they differ, the local row is the one that describes the work near this program.
- Typical pay in California
- $59,613per yearSan Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: $58,578
- Projected openings
- 7,490San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 310
- Projected change
- +14.9%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- More than a year
New hires are trained on the job for more than a year after they start. The classroom part is the beginning of this work, not the whole of it.
These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: Started college, no degree — 31% of the people doing this work.
California says this job usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent. 3% of the people doing it went less far than that.
- No high school diploma
- 3%
- High school diploma
- 26%
- Started college, no degree
- 31%
- Two-year degree
- 18%
- Four-year degree
- 19%
- Master's degree
- 3%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 1%
This counts people already doing this job, across the whole United States. Every other figure on this page is California's, and the federal government publishes no state version of this one. It is what people happen to have, not a rule about who gets hired. A small row does not mean you would be turned away, and a large one is not a promise of a job.
Program details
This is a hybrid or blended program providing both in-person and online instruction.
This is a Dispensing Opticians Training Program. A program that prepares individuals to adapt and fit corrective eyewear including eyeglasses and contact lenses as prescribed by ophthalmologists or optometrists to assist patients in selecting appropriate frames and to prepare work orders for ophthalmic laboratory technicians. Includes instruction in geometrical optics ophthalmic optics anatomy of the eye optical instrumentation use and maintenance of adjustment and cleaning tools prescription interpretation contact lens adaptation and fitting prosthesis fitting facial and eye measuring pathology identification record-keeping and patient and business administrative tasks.
Someone else may be able to pay for this
This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-08-04). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.
The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California
Human Services Agency of San FranciscoAffiliate site
Phone: 415-401-4800
3120 Mission StreetHSA-Mission OfficeSan Francisco, CA 94110about 13.4 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
American Job Center of California-OaklandComprehensive center
Phone: 510-564-0500
7677 Oakport StreetSuite 350Oakland, CA 94621about 13.8 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00AM- 5:00PM
Has a veterans' representative
Eden Area AJCCComprehensive center
Phone: 510-670-5700; for resources and services
24100 Amador StreetGail Steele Multi-Service Center , 3rd FloorHayward, CA 94544about 13.8 miles away
Hours: Mon/Tues/Thurs 8:30am-5pm -Wed 8:30am-7pm-Fri 8:30am-12:30pm
Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.
Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List
How this gets paid for, and what to ask →
Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.
The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.
How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →